


Messiahs Die Young

by MiniNephthys



Category: Shin Megami Tensei
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-09
Updated: 2012-05-09
Packaged: 2017-11-05 02:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/401281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis and Kazuya talk religion over chess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Messiahs Die Young

"God told him he could be the Messiah." Kazuya considers his move carefully before moving a bishop. "Was the Messiah."

"That always was one of YHVH's favorite ploys." Deftly, Louis advances a pawn. "'Messiah'. Such an abstract term, isn't it? No one can promise success or deliverance, but everyone loves the man who says he has everything under control. Until, of course, it's shown that he's fallible, like everyone else."

"He's done this before?" Kazuya asks, moving a piece after some thought. "Promised a Messiah."

"Have you studied your history and religion?" After the young man shakes his head, Louis captures his bishop with a piece he hadn't noticed before. "There was a man by the name of Jesus Christ, the son of YHVH, sent to Earth to save humanity, or so went Christian thought for millennia after His abrupt death at the hands of humans. His sacrifice absolved humanity of their original sin, and they could enter heaven after death only by believing in Him. Think, however, of what you know of this God, who you have seen firsthand break His promise not to flood the world again. He is an angry and violent God, who would have cast out Adam and Eve for even the most minor of sins. What can one man do to absolve the 'sin' of a race that has done nothing wrong?"

Kazuya moves his next piece before Louis can finish talking.

"Jewish thought was closer to the truth of the matter; there was no original sin in the first place to absolve, and if there was still war and suffering in the world, the Messiah that had been promised had not yet come despite one man's teachings. Of course, they were wrong in thinking that a good life could lead them to heaven; the strict judgments of God would never allow more than a few people to live there. But they were generally well-intentioned, the Jewish people. Of course there were plenty of bad individuals, but they led less bloody wars in the name of God." Louis studies the board and chooses to advance a knight. "Terrible relations with their neighbors, though. Anyway, there have always been people claiming to be the Messiah, and usually if they aren't saying it for the attention, it's because YHVH told them they could be."

"What happened to them?" Kazuya presses, moving his queen to capture the knight now that there's an opportunity.

"The would-be-Messiahs?" Louis raises an eyebrow. "They usually die ignobly and fall into obscurity, barely worth a mention in the history books."

"I meant the other religions." He knows a bit about Christianity, but not that much.

"The Messians started out as a Christian denomination. After most of the countries that practiced Islam - that's one you might not know - were taken over for various reasons, the religion separated from Christianity more and more. It was too fanatical for most Christians, it seemed. Then when demons started appearing, 'fanatical' was suddenly more conservative and mainstream than it used to be. Christianity and Judaism started becoming weaker and less powerful until Judaism was relegated to cult status and Christianity held no real power. Your king is in check, by the way."

Oh, he is. Kazuya hadn't noticed Louis's move. He captures the offending piece. "We started by talking about Yuji. About Takeshi..."

"He was never promised a thing. Every power he has, he earned, and every thought he has about his station in life is his own." Louis taps the table with an elegant finger before moving another piece. "He's proud and impulsive, but not a bad kind of person. I was under the impression that he liked you."

"He does." Kazuya sighs heavily and advances his piece. "I wish I could convince him to come back. He doesn't have to do everything by himself. Yuji is a hopeless case by now, but if I just joined the Gaians, maybe..."

"That is the question, isn't it?" Louis smiles and puts down his bishop. "Checkmate."


End file.
